Lesser Version of Yourself
by MortalAcademy
Summary: Alec has been away on hunts and Magnus has been pre-occupied with clients to notice what was happening at home. Espeically with their own daughter, Belle; it takes one concerned Shadowhunter to notice. And one parent to sort it out.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to Cassandra Clare. Apart from my own version of their daughter.

 **A/N:** This is the first thing that I have wrote in quite a long time, and was suggested by a friend of mine (TMI_India) on Twitter.

* * *

It felt like an eternity since the day their daughter had just started school, how excited she was to go and make new friends. How she was going to make everyone love her to no ends, how she was going to bring them over for play-dates and how she was going to learn everything she could. Both Magnus and Alec knew as the years passed that Belle, their daughter, had never batted an eyelid at strange looks and the copious amount of remarks that passed the lips of mundanes, and for that alone they were grateful. Yet they knew that they never touched her heart because she was so young, kind-hearted and carefree; she was a child that never let the insults seep beneath the surface.

Except now, it was the dreaded High School years and nothing was like it used to be. Magnus had been watching his daughter closely for the past few weeks, noticing how her usual bubbly and happy-go-lucky personality was no longer present. He'd noticed how she seemed drained, pale in complexion and completely not like herself. And quite frankly he'd been worrying himself silly about it. This was their little girl, even if she was Sixteen years old, he knew that he could speak both himself and Alec when he said she would always be their little girl. The little girl who needed protecting from the world.

"Is everything okay, honey?" Magnus looked up from where his chin was propped on his hand, on the arm of the sofa. Alec was holding two mugs of what smelt like coffee with a concerned look on his face, along with a small smile.

"Oh, hi sweetie. Yeah everything is fine, I was just caught up in my thoughts. Come here." Magnus smiled up at his husband and patted the space beside him. Alec offered a small smile as he placed the two mugs on the coffee table, then took his place next to Magnus. He never once took his eyes off Magnus, knowing his husband better than anyone, Alec knew something was gnawing away at him.

"You do know that I can read you like a book, honey. I can see it in your face that something is eating away at you. What is it?" Alec rubbed his hand up and down Magnus's arm in a comforting gesture, smiling up at Magnus. Who in turn was chewing on his bottom lip-which Alec thought was ironic since that was his thing-and looked over to Alec and gave a sigh followed by a smile, nodding.

"Don't I know it, sweetie. I love you because you don't need to ask, you just know. But yes, you're right, there is something up. I'm worried about Belle." Magnus met Alec's eyes as he spoke, lightly running his fingertips over the back of Alec's hand, almost absentmindedly. Alec look slightly confused, then a little bit guilty, glancing down at his lap.

"What are you worried about? God, I feel like such a bad father having to ask that! I hate that the hunts have been more frequent lately. I haven't seen much of either of you, no wonder I'm missing out on noticing things like this." Alec shook his head, letting out an exasperated sigh. Magnus covered Alec's hand completely with his own, tipping up his chin with the other hand, smiling.

"Sweetie, don't you worry or feel guilty about anything. We both know that you have to go on the hunts, and we know it's not your fault how frequent they are. I don't blame you, and I know we haven't had a chance to discuss any of this; we've been nothing more than ships passing in the night. So I'm going to make the most of these next couple of days you have off!" Magnus grinned that playful yet loving grin, that promised so much more than his words professed. Alec smiled fondly back at him, placing a chaste kiss on Magnus's. "You always know just what to say, Magnus."

"Because it's the truth, Alec. I wouldn't change our lives, you still make me the happiest man alive and you're the best father to Belle. Speaking of our daughter, she will due home any minute. I think that something is going on at school because she's been coming home looking drained and completely out of sorts. I'm worried about her Alec. We both knew it might get a bit more difficult once she got to High School, but this has been going on for too long-" Magnus was cut off as a key turned in the lock, he heard the tumblers in the door click and shudder together, and looked at Alec quickly, nodding towards the door whispering, "Just watch her when she comes through."

* * *

Just as Magnus finished the last word, the door slowly swung open and in stepped their daughter. Alec watched her every move, just like his husband had told him too. Belle walked to the coat rack and hung up her winter duffle coat, pushing her long black hair out her face. A year ago she'd picked up the habit from her father to start putting random coloured streaks through her hair; today she was sporting a mixture of purple and blue. She turned back to the rest of the room and smiled at both of them, making her way over to the armchair opposite the coffee table. Taking a seat, she pulled her feet up under herself, after taking her shoes off.

"Hi Daddy, is everything okay? You look exhausted!" She looked between them, but her question was directed at Magnus. _'Daddy'_ had been what she'd always called Magnus, as for Alec, she'd always called him _'Papa'_. He loved her for that, and he knew Magnus loved her for what she called him. Magnus smiled over at his daughter, his head almost drooping onto Alec's shoulder as he spoke.

"Hi little lady, everything is okay with me. My mind has just been running away with me today, I haven't been myself." Alec watched as he smiled across at their daughter, who in turn looked relieved at his answer. He kept watching their daughter as she and Magnus shared news of how her day went; what happened in class, did she get lunch okay, the normal drill. It was when she looked across to Alec, that he noticed something was off.

"Papa, I'm so glad you're home! It feels like forever since I've seen you, I've missed you so much and worried my heart away waiting for you to come back from the hunts safe. I'm even worse than Daddy!" Alec couldn't help it, he smiled and chuckled at his daughter's thoughtfulness, and gestured her over. As their daughter quickly got to her feet and rounded the table, that was when he noticed the change, and he tried to hide his shock as she sat next to him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, nor could he get his head around why.

"I've missed you too, pumpkin. When I go on hunts, I fight for one thing alone and that is to make sure I come home to you and your father. I couldn't live without you two, you're my world, moon and stars." Alec felt Magnus's hand that covered his own drift over his skin, leaving tingles in his wake, as he intertwined their fingers together.. Alec squeezed his hand and flashed a smile, then flickered his gaze back to their daughter, and leaned in just close enough for her to hear.

"You want to tell me why you've glamoured your eyes green, Belle?"

* * *

A moment passed when Alec watched a number of emotions flicker across their daughter's face; a mixture of fear, disappointment, guilt and sadness. She met his gaze and visibly swallowed, looking like a dear caught in headlights, looking completely unsure whether to bolt or not. He took the moment to take her hand in his free one, then quickly stood up and sat across from both Belle and Magnus. Perching on the edge of the coffee table, he looked at the two of them.

"When I got up this morning, I knew there was something wrong, it was just a sensation. Then when I came in to see your father looking exhausted and completely unlike himself, I knew something was up. I feel completely guilty because I haven't been around to notice, and obviously your Dad has been ran off his feet with clients to notice, but how long has this been going on, pumpkin? Belle, why have you been using glamour to hide your true eyes?" Alec knew how pained he sounded to out her just like that, but this was a big deal to him. He didn't want his daughter or anyone he loved for that matter needing to feel a lesser version of themselves. Alec squeezed his daughter's hand as she shuffled closer to Magnus, who was looking across at her and covered his mouth with his free hand.

"Papa, I- It's not like little school, people who go to High School give me a wide berth because of my real coloured eyes. They taunt me, they call me names and whisper insults behind my back; they call me a monster and that I shouldn't be here. I couldn't bear to go through that, it got too much." Alec listened as she told him everything, and he ran his thumb over the back of her hand reassuringly. She took a big inhale and carried on telling her side. "It all started about three months ago, I was in class when we were told to pair up for an assignment and a boy in class got paired with me. My eyes were the normal colour then, the bright unnatural blue, with the flecks of gold. He took one look at me and visibly recoiled away from me, then for the duration of class he kept asking me what I was, not who, what. Then it just got worse, he told a few of his friends who then began to taunt me between classses.. It just got too much. So I started using glamour to hide them completely. I told everyone I had been wearing contacts when they asked."

Alec sighed inwardly, feeling more and more guilty that he hadn't been here to help or fix any of this. When he glanced across to Magnus, he saw how stricken, helpless and guilty he looked for obviously not noticing any of this. Alec squeezed his husband's hand and smiled over at the pair of them. Magnus tugged their daughter to his side, so they were in tightly fit triangle, murmuring apologies in her ear for not noticing sooner. In return she was telling him he didn't need to apologise. Alec couldn't bear to think of how guilty his husband was feeling for not noticing, and how his daughter had been hiding her heritage because of some jackass boys at school. She was beautiful to him and Magnus, and no one could tell him any different. He felt like putting an arrow between each of those boy's eyes.

"Pumpkin, you should of came to one of us with this. I understand that now you're in High School you don't want me or your Dad to be fighting your battles for you, but you're our princess, pumpkin and little lady. We hurt when you hurt. Right now all I want to do is put an arrow between each of those boy's eyes, but I know I can't, so instead I'll say this. Belle, you should never feel like you have to hide your eyes, your warlock mark. That is what makes you, you and what makes you beautiful inside and out. That unique quirk that makes you different is something I love about you, just like I love it about your father. You two share a bond because of this, something I will never be able to comprehend, but I will tell you this." Alec smiled across at the two of them, before he carried on speaking. "Anyone who puts you down or picks on your faults is not worth your time. Don't give them the time of day! Your warlock mark makes you special, makes you beautiful and makes you our little lady. Your heritage makes you better than any of them mundanes at school, you are born of both worlds; mundane and shadow. One they will never know the beauty of, your eyes are of that world, and that is why they will never comprehend the beauty you hold. The special abilities, the difference you have from everyone else is what makes you stand out. Embrace it! As Uncle Jace and Auntie Izzy would say "Don't let the mundanes get you down!""

Magnus was smiling across at him with tears in his eyes, holding their daughter close. He looked across to Alec and nodded a thank you and mouthed _'I love you so much baby'_. Alec smiled back at him and mouth the self and same back, before casting a glance to their daughter who was nestled against Magnus's side. Her cheeks were wet and she was trying her best to smile, but it wobbled. Alec got onto his knees in front of her, pulling both her and Magnus into his arms, embracing them. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, until Belle murmured something through the tears, and into their shirts. "Thank you, Papa. I don't want you to think I'm ashamed of being a warlock. Really, I'm not. I just don't know how to deal with the cruel words and strange looks."

Alec pulled back a little to wipe the tears off one cheek, as Magnus cleared her other cheek placing a sweet kiss where the tears had been. Alec smiled at her, cupping her chin, looking her straight in the eye. "Pumpkin, I know you're not ashamed of being a warlock, you don't need to clarify that to us. We know. Both me and your Dad love you unconditionally and are here for you whenever you need us, no matter what it is. I just don't want you to have to shield yourself behind a lesser version of yourself. Ask your Dad. Before I met him that's what I did; I put up walls, hid away the real me and when I brought those walls down and accepted the real me. Well, I was the better for it. I found love," He glanced at Magnus who was meeting his smile. "and I found my real friends, family and best of all we got you." He squeezed both of their hands. When he looked at his daughter, he saw an emotion that made him smile and his heart warm; acceptance and happiness.

* * *

After what felt like hours of being cuddled all together on the floor, Belle between both of them, their daughter got to her feet. She wiped her remaining tears with the sleeve of her shirt. Alec sat back up on the sofa next to his husband, and smiled up at her. In turn Magnus was doing the same. "Thank you, Papa. I promise to you and Daddy that I am going to be brave and be the real me. I want people to like me for the real me, and like you said Papa, if they don't like that well... they know where the door is. When I see you and Daddy, I want that kind of love and companionship. So I want my friends and future loved ones to love me for me."

Alec smiled, nodding up at her. Magnus got up and whispered in her ear, which caused Belle to pull a funny face. When Magnus took his seat beside Alec, he wrapped his arms around the latter's waist, pulling him close. Belle took her leave shortly afterwards leaving them in silence, until Magnus broke it with a whisper. "I love you more than I can put into words, I want to be able to tell you how much, but words are not enough. You warm my heart and cause it to melt more and more everyday. Thank you for that, I couldn't of worded it as well as that. But one thing, you know that I have an unbreakable bond with you too, don't you?"

Alec smiled against his chest and nodded. "Yes, I know we have an unbreakable bond, but you and Belle have the warlock bond. I'll never have that, but I love you both for that reason; I love that you two have that bond that is only yours. I know our bond is deeper than than that."

Magnus grinned down at him, kissing his lips fondly. "I just want you to know that you're my moon and stars that light the sky every night, and the sunrise that gives light to the world every morning. I would be nothing without you. I love you with ever fibre of my being. I always will, till the end of time."

Alec snuggled in closer to him, smiling, running his fingers idly across his husband's stomach and chest. He felt the latter sigh in contentment, running his hands up and down Alec's spine. Words were not needed in moments like this, the sheer closeness and warmth of their bodies radiated the love they held for each other. Both of them wouldn't change their lives for anything, they wouldn't change how they met, the troubles they had faced, how they fell in love and most of all they would never change their family for the world.

* * *

Belle had been stood quietly watching them from the hallway, smiling contently at the pure happiness that was creating an aura around her Dad's. She hoped one day she would find someone who would love her even a fraction of amount that her parent's held for one another. It was a beautiful and rare thing for her to see, but they had it. As she lifted her lips into one last smile, she turned back down the hallway to her room, remembering what her Dad had whispered in her ear earlier _'The day you bring that special someone home, remind them they have some competition because no one will love you as much as me and your Papa do.'_

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 **Review please!**


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